Our 2025 Open Water Swimming season will run from Saturday 3rd May to Saturday 27th September and takes place in Ardingly Reservoir. Our sessions are one and a half hours long and we swim a defined loop of around 400m, though this is reduced to 250m at the start of the season when the water is colder. You can turn up at any time during the session and swim as many laps as you wish.
As many of you will have heard, ownership of the Activity Centre has changed hands and the new owners are Ardingly School. They have plans to upgrade the facilities for summer 2025, so we look forward to having a cafe and changing rooms once more! The new owners are very supportive of our sessions continuing which is great news.
Swims need to be pre-booked using the usual session booking page of the MSTC website Any swimmer who has not pre-booked and paid for their session will not be allowed in the water. Members can bring along a guest (to be booked in via the website) and we also offer Taster swims for those who would like to give it a go before committing - see below.
OWS safety is very important to us and to take part you must:
- Be a current member of the club
- Wear a wetsuit and visible swim cap unless otherwise directed
- Take a turn as Safety Spotter on the pontoon or as a Kayaker on the water during the season
- Read the risk assessments and club policies
- Accept the indemnity waiver during registration
Open Water Swim Documents REQUIRED READING
- General Briefing for Swimmers
- Detailed information on what to expect, includes a map of the site showing changing areas, toilets and the swim route
- Spotter Duty at Ardingly Reservoir
- To be read ahead of your Spotter duty
- Kayak Duty at Ardingly Reservoir
- To be read ahead of your Kayak duty
- Emergency Action Plan
- Important information on what to do in an emergency - we have a safety drill each year, so you need to know this.
- Risk Assessment
- MSTC Open Water Swimming Policy
Please also check out our safety video - this will be available from Mid May
Cost
The cost per swim to club members is £5 and sessions are booked in the usual way via the Book a Session page on the MSTC website.
You can book any session up to the session time itself. If you need to cancel then this must be done at least 12 hours in advance to get a refund. If you have any issues with this please contact openwaterswim@midsussextriclub.com
Times and Dates
The 2025 season will run from Saturday 3rd May to Saturday 27th September, water temperature and quality permitting. In very dry summers the season may be curtailed due to lack of water. Sessions times are as follows:
- Saturday mornings 08:15-9:45
- Tuesday evenings 18:00-19:30 (these usually finish Mid-September due to falling light levels)
The water temperature is usually around 12-15C at the start of the season, rising to (hopefully!) low 20s in July/August and then cooling down quickly towards the end of September.
Duties
The club is responsible for the safety cover of all it's OWS sessions and follows BTF guidelines which require a Spotter on the jetty and 2 kayakers (or 1 if less than 20 swimmers) on the water watching over the swimmers at all times. Ardingly Activity Centre provide a launch and First Aid.
Everyone that swims is expected to do either a Spotter or a Kayak duty at some point in the season. These duties are allocated randomly via 3rd Party Dutyman software, and you will receive an email with your duty date and type once they have been assigned. Duties can be swapped if the chosen dates prove to be inconvenient or if a different duty is desired. We do recognise that some members may have issues fulfilling this requirement - if so then contact Debbie at openwaterswim@midsussextriclub.com
Failure to turn up for your duty means that someone else has to cover this role and we reserve the right to bar members from swimming for duty no-shows.
- You can login directly to Dutyman here Dutyman MSTC Rota to check your duties or arrange a swap
- Please use the reminder feature on dutyman if you forgot your password.
- If you do not receive any emails there are some tips to help dutyman email tips
Taster Sessions
We offer a free taster session for those who would like to try OWS before they commit to joining the club. You need to be able swim at least 400m continuously (front crawl or breast stroke). A club member will accompany you round the first lap for safety and encouragement and you will be given a tow float to use for safety purposes. Don’t forget that you’ll need to be wearing a wetsuit and swim cap. Contact openwaterswim@midsussextriclub.com to book a slot. You will be required to sign an indemnity form before swimming.
Guest Sessions
Members can bring along a guest who needs to be booked in and paid for ahead of the session. Members are responsible for making sure that their guest knows the emergency action plan and what to do in the event of an incident. Guests will be required to sign an indemnity form before swimming.